Big Life

Chapter 139. I’m An Earthling (9)

“Ha Jae-Gun, over here! Here!”

Lee Soo-Hee shouted excitedly from the seafood corner.

Ha Jae-Gun rushed over with a cart.

“The oysters look quite fresh. Shall we have them with some soy sauce and vinegar?” Lee Soo-Hee asked, knowing that Ha Jae-Gun loved raw oysters.

Ha Jae-Gun nodded and said, “Let’s buy two packs.”

“Two? Can we even finish them all?”

“We’ll just open them all into a bowl and drink ‘em all up.”

“True. Plus, we can boil the rest and make oyster rice, too.”

Lee Soo-Hee slapped Ha Jae-Gun’s waist and placed two packs of raw oysters into the cart. They carefully picked out the other necessary fresh ingredients and added them to the cart.

Their menu for tonight was seafood soup.

‘She seems quite different from usual.’

Lee Soo-Hee’s smile did not disappear throughout their entire grocery shopping, which was a fresh sight to Ha Jae-Gun, as she had this firm and strict demeanor.

“Did we get everything?”

“Yeah, let’s go and pay.” Ha Jae-Gun pulled out his wallet and handed it to her, then headed beyond the cashier counters to create a few boxes. He made two huge cardboard boxes to contain the items they bought.

“Um, excuse me.”

Just then, someone called out to him. Ha Jae-Gun turned around and spotted a young couple in their early twenties standing behind him.

“Are you perhaps Writer Ha Jae-Gun?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right.”

The female grabbed her partner’s arm in excitement.

“Look, honey. I was right. We’re avid readers of your novels. We also enjoyed your latest movie, There Was A Sea, so much that we watched it thrice at the theaters.”

“Thank you so much.”

“I saw an article saying that the novel is being translated and will be published in America. Does it only apply to There Was A Sea? What about your other novels?”

“There’s no other novels in talks for that arrangement so far.”

“Stop asking, he must be busy.” The male nudged his partner, giving obvious hints but to no avail.

She would most likely write about her encounter with Ha Jae-Gun in her diary and boast about it with her friends as well.

“Are you not appearing in any more variety shows with Mr. Park Do-Joon? Both of you are incredibly close, right? I read the entertainment news mentioning that he is considering appearing on Three Meals a Day.”

“It’s not confirmed yet.”

Meanwhile, Lee Soo-Hee had paid for their purchases and was putting them into the cart. Ha Jae-Gun excused himself and went to help Lee Soo-Hee.

The female fan’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Ahh, the one-piece lady!” She recognized Lee Soo-Hee immediately. Plus, Lee Soo-Hee was also wearing a dress, which was apropos of the nickname that the netizens gave her.

“You’re the one-piece lady, right? Ah, you’re not only photogenic, but you’re also really pretty. Ah, you’re very pretty!”

The commotion attracted the attention of everyone nearby.

Lee Soo-Hee’s eyes met Ha Jae-Gun’s gaze, and she smiled shyly.

Thankfully, the man remained calm and composed. He grabbed his excited girlfriend before greeting Ha Jae-Gun, “It was nice meeting you, Writer Ha. I look forward to more of your great works.”

“Thank you.”

“Honey, wait. Let’s take a photo with him—”

“I told you to stop.”

The couple left, and the commotion came to an end.

Ha Jae-Gun picked up the pace as the other shoppers started recognizing him.

“I’m sorry, Soo-Hee.”

“What about?”

“It turned out this way for you since you helped out at the autograph event.”

“You’ve got so many things to apologize about. I think it was fun, I feel like I’ve become a celebrity.”

“That’s fortunate, then. Let’s go.”

The two headed to the car and drove to Ha Jae-Gun’s house.

Ha Jae-Gun handed Rika to Lee Soo-Hee and sent them into the house while he moved the boxes in one by one. He then picked up his coat in the back seat.

‘Huh? Do-Joon called?’

Ha Jae-Gun saw the notifications on his phone that showed three missed calls from Park Do-Joon. Ha Jae-Gun closed the car door and called Park Do-Joon himself.

— Yeah, Jae-Gun?

“I left my phone in the car. Anyway, what’s up?”

— Are you busy today? Do you want to have some drinks?

“Ah, I can’t do it tonight. I already got an appointment for dinner.”

— I see.

“How about tomorrow? Are you busy tomorrow?”

— I can't do it tomorrow. Let’s meet next time, then. Anyway, just a brief update, but I’m heading to China.

“China? Is it confirmed?”

— I’ll tell you more when I meet you in person. Enjoy dinner.

“Alright, I got it. Sorry. Enjoy your dinner, too.”

— Yeah.

Ha Jae-Gun hung up and headed back in. However, Park Do-Joon’s low voice disturbed him. Something huge had to have happened, as his schedule for China was decided in the proverbial blink of an eye.

“Jae-Gun, do you want to have the oysters first?” Lee Soo-Hee asked, with an apron over her dress.

Ha Jae-Gun smiled brightly while approaching her. He had to focus on spending time with Lee Soo-Hee in the meantime. With that, he decided to toss all his worries for Park Do-Joon at the back of his mind.

“You’re going to have soju, right?”

“No, I have to drive you back home later.”

“But I’m going to drink it. I can just call a taxi back home later.”

“Alright then. I’ll take the taxi back with you later.”

The two enjoyed their delicious dinner at the basement lounge.

Rika stuck to Lee Soo-Hee the entire time.

Lee Soo-Hee had taken quite a liking for Rika

“Ah, I’m getting thirsty after singing so much,” Lee Soo-Hee said.

“Do you want a glass of beer? Come here, I’ll be your bartender.”

Lee Soo-Hee smiled and sat on the chair by the bar table.

Ha Jae-Gun headed behind the bar counter and bowed politely to her like a gentleman.

“You’re funny.”

“What would you like to drink?”

“What drinks do you have available?”

“Soju, beer, rice wine, Siberian ginseng wine, raspberry wine, and many others.”

“Wow, you’ve got quite the variety. I’ll have a beer, please.”

“I understand.”

Ha Jae-Gun bent down and reached out for the fridge under the counter to take out two cans of beer. He poured the beer into a huge glass. They drank a toast to each other, and their hearts pounded in sync.

“Thank you, Soo-Hee. The game is turning out so well.”

“It’s all for my own sake. I was just using my connection with my bestselling author. There’s no need for you to thank me, and I’m quite the scary and competent woman when it comes to work, you know?”

“Aigoo, how scary. Anyway, beer alone is boring, so I’ll prepare some cheese for us.” Ha Jae-Gun turned around and prepared some food accompaniment.

Lee Soo-Hee took a deep breath as she watched Ha Jae-Gun’s back view.

It was also the time for her to bring up a topic of concern.

Lee Soo-Hee had two things she wanted to tell Ha Jae-Gun tonight. She even classified both of them, one that was passive and the other active. So far, Lee Soo-He felt that it would be better for her to raise the active topic tonight.

However, she thought it was the toughest thing to do in the world. She had already confessed to him once during their university days, but she was rejected, so she found it extremely difficult to do it once more.

“Try it. Do-Joon brought this for me, and it’s really delicious.”

“Mm.”

“What’s up with that serious look?” asked Ha Jae-Gun while sitting across from her.

Lee Soo-Hee was flustered upon realizing that she failed to hide her expression.

“What’s going on?”

“No, it’s nothing much…”

“Tell me.”

Lee Soo-Hee drank a mouthful of beer. Thinking that she shouldn’t keep him in suspense any longer, she decided to be honest. “I might get reappointed to an overseas branch.”

“Overseas branch? Where?”

“Either Taiwan or Europe. The market in Taiwan has been growing a lot recently, so I might go there to establish a branch. If I’m going to Europe, I’ll be heading there to work on localization.”

“Isn’t that a good opportunity for you?”

Lee Soo-Hee smiled faintly and nodded.

For an office worker, this was a huge opportunity that she had obtained from Nam Gyu-Ho, but Lee Soo-Hee wasn’t sure if it was a good thing for her as a woman.

“What do you think?”

“It sounds great. You should go.”

“Hmm, you think so…?”

“How long are you going to stay there?”

“Mm, if it’s Europe, I will have to stay there for around two years.”

The smile on Ha Jae-Gun’s face disappeared.

He finally realized that it was a lengthy relocation.

Two years? It wasn’t a long time, but Lee Soo-Hee would turn thirty-one in two years.

“Anyway, I still have no idea where I’m going.” Lee Soo-Hee laughed to lighten the mood upon noticing that Ha Jae-Gun’s expression was turning dark.

However, Ha Jae-Gun couldn’t bring himself to smile in return. He found it difficult to speak, and the atmosphere didn’t return to normal as well.

Ha Jae-Gun and Lee Soo-Hee drank their beers in silence. Midnight was approaching, and they shared conversations about their daily lives.

“Oh my, time flies. It’s midnight soon.”

Lee Soo-Hee quickly got up with her face flushed. However, Ha Jae-Gun still sat in his chair with a blank look, occupied with his thoughts.

“I’ll be heading back now. You need to rest as well to work tomorrow.”

“It’s your day off tomorrow, but you’re going already?”

Lee Soo-Hee trembled as she smoothed out her clothes.

Just then, Ha Jae-Gun looked up with a calm expression and said, “You can sleep over.”

“…?!” Lee Soo-Hee’s expression changed.

Meanwhile, Rika’s eyes shone brightly as she curled up on the bar counter.

***

“Hello, editor-in-chief.”

“Is the Head of Sales back?” Oh Myung-Suk asked with a stern face.

The two employees standing before him timidly had their hands gathered in front of them.

“Yes, he’s in the office.”

Oh Myung-Suk headed straight for the Head of Sales’ office. There was no one who could stop him as he was the eldest son of the president of OongSung.

Oh Myung-Suk flung the door open.

“What is Mysterium’s editor-in-chief doing here without prior notice?” asked the man behind the desk. Oh Myung-Suk approached the man, who was none other than his younger brother, Oh Myung-Hoon.

“Isn't this too much?”

“What’s too much?”

“I received calls from YongPoong and Bandi headquarters. What have you done? How dare you change the location of the books on your own at YongPoong’s and recall all the new novels from Saemul Publishing at Bandi’s?”

Oh Myung-Hoon sighed tirelessly.

He put his hands on the desk and asked provocatively, “So what?”

“What…?!”

“What did I do wrong? Even Father didn’t like the location of the books at YongPoong, but he was too kind to say anything about it, so I pushed for it in his stead. And what about the new novels from Saemul Publishing? It’s supposed to be our location from today onward.”

“We’re supposed to allow our distributors four hours before our books go on shelves!”

“Why must we do that?”

“…?!”

“Why must we be considerate to others? I think you’re greatly mistaken. That location is supposed to be ours after midnight, but they can’t occupy it just because our books haven’t arrived yet.”

“So you threatened to remove them from all our advertisements?”

“It’s not a threat, I’m just notifying them of the facts.”

The two brothers glared at each other, sparks flying out from their eyes.

Oh Myung-Hoon was the first to look away. He let out a sigh, unable to comprehend his brother’s logic and headed to the coffee machine.

“Just think of it as a difference in practices, hyung.”

“Are you trying to teach me? Do you really think that I’m unfamiliar with the practices?”

“It’s not that, I’m just confirming it once more for you. You’re too kind to others. I understand that you’re angry, but Father even complimented me for it, saying that I did a great job.”

“…!” Oh Myung-Suk’s face crumpled and remained silent.

There was no way he could retort to Oh Myung-Hoon’s words upon hearing that their father had approved of his methods. He rejected the cup of coffee his younger brother offered and turned around to leave.

Just before he twisted the doorknob and opened the door, Oh Myung-Suk looked back at Oh Myung-Hoon and warned, “You better handle Writer Ha Jae-Gun’s marketing properly.”

The entire marketing efforts for Ha Jae-Gun’s overseas market expansion were now spearheaded by Oh Myung-Hoon.

Oh Myung-Suk definitely wanted to do it himself, as he was the brain behind the idea of Ha Jae-Gun’s overseas expansion. However, Oh Myung-Hoon opposed it, saying that the family had to abide by the organization’s own system to set a good example for others.

“Ah, Ha Jae-Gun’s novel?”

Oh Myung-Hoon smiled softly while stirring his coffee. He nodded and calmly replied, “Of course, I’ll make sure that everything will go smoothly. We’re talking about the company’s profits here, after all. I’ve got a meeting in New York next week.”

“All right, I’ll leave it in your good hands.”

Oh Myung-Suk finished his piece and left the office.

However, his heart felt heavy. He had lived his entire life with his younger brother, but just now, he couldn’t ascertain whether Oh Myung-Hoon’s words were sincere or not.